Holder and dispenser for a collapsible tube



5. L. HORNSBY HOLDER AND DISPENSER FOR A COLLAPSIBLE TUBE Filed Feb. 25, 1956 Aug. 6, 1957 jI/IIIII I III ,7

I I ,22 I l IN VEN TOR.

2,801,770 Patented Aug. 6, 1957 United States Patent fiice HOLDER AND DISPENSER FOR A COLLAPSIBLE This invention relates to a holder and dispenser for col lapsible tubes of the type conventionally employed for holding and dispensing pastes and creams, such as toothpastes and shaving cream, or other products in paste or cream form.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a holder and dispenser of extremely simple construction in which a collapsible tube can be readily supported and from Which the contents of the tube can be readily dispensed as desired.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a novel pressure responsive means by which acollapsibletube can be squeezed and collapsed progressively from its closed, sealed end toward its opposite dispensing end without the necessity of rolling the tube, and yet which will be efficientin accomplishing the result of substantially completely collapsing the tube so that all of the contents thereof will be dispensed. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pressure responsive element selected portions of which may be readily displaced inwardly with respect to the casing in which the tube is contained for exerting a compressive force against selected areas of the tube to insure that the dispensing of the contents will alwdays be in a direction toward the discharge end of the to e.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of the holder and dispenser;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and showing a collapsible tube positioned therein;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the holder and dispenser, with the collapsible tube applied thereto, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 33 ofFigure 1 and Figure 4 is an end elevational view looking toward the outlet end of the holder and with the closure thereof shown broken away and in an open position.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the holder and dispenser constituting the invention is designated generally 6 and includes a case, designated generally 7.

The case 7 has an inner or rear wall 8, side walls 9 and 10 and end walls 11 and 12. The end wall 11 which normally constitutes the lower end of the case 7 is formed integral with or suitably joined to the adjacent ends of the walls 8, 9 and 10, and is provided with an opening 13 which is spaced from the walls 8, 9 and 10. The other end wall 12, which normally constitutes the upper end of the case 7, is swingably connected at one end thereof by a hinge 14 to the adjacent end of the wall 9. The other free end of the wall 12, in the normal closed position of said wall, bears against the adjacent end of the wall 10 and is provided with an extension 15. The extension 15 is disposed at nearly a-right angle to the end wall 12 so as to extend along the outer side of a portion of the side wall 10 and is provided with an opening 16 which loosely engages over a pin or stud 17 which projects outwardly from and is supported by the wall 10. The extension 15 beyond its opening 16 has a free end portion 18 which is flared away from the wall 10 to provide a fingerhold. The pin or stud 17, which has an enlarged outer end, constitutes a keeper andin combination with the extension 15 forms a latch for retaining the end wall 12 in a closed position, as illustrated in Figure l. The extension 15 is sufficiently resilient so that the fingerhold 18 thereof may be grasped to spring the extension 15 outwardly away from the wall 10 for disengaging the opening thereof from the keeper 17, so that said end wall 12 can be swung counterclockwise about the hinge 14 to an open position, from its closed position of Figure 1.

The case 7 includes an open front 19 which is disposed opposite the inner or rear wall 8. A pair of bridge membersZQ and 21 span the open front 19 of the case 7, adjacent the e'nds thereof. The ends of the bridge members 20 and 21 are formedintegral with or suitably secured to portions of the front edges of the walls 9 and 10. An elongated pressure plate 22 is disposed in the case 7 and is of a width 'slightly less than the spacing between the inher surfaces of the walls 9 and 10, as best seen in Figures 1 and 3, and is of a length somewhat less than the spacing between the end walls ll and 12, as best seen in Figure 2. The end portions of the pressure plate 22 are disposed between the bridge members 20 and 21 and of the rear wall 8 and said end portions are connected to said bridge members by elastic elements 23. Two of said elastic elements, which are preferably in the form of elastic strands, are anchored to and extend inwardly from each of the bridge members 20 and 21 and have inner ends anchored to the pressure plate 22, so that the four elastic strands 23 are anchored to the pressure plate 22 near the four corners thereof, as seen in Figure l, for normally supporting the pressure plate on the inner side of and adjacent the plane of the bridge members 20 and 21.

A dispensing neck closure, designated generally 24, includes an elongated relatively stiff strip 25 one end of which is swingably connected by means of a hinge 26 to the side wall 10 at the lower end thereof and the other free end o fwhich forms an inturned extension 27, substantially corresponding to the extension 15. Said extension 27 has an opening 28 for engaging a keeper 29 which is fixed to and extends outwardly from the wall 9. The opening 28 and keeper 29 correspond to and function in the same manner as the opening 16 and keeper 17. The end portion 27 has an outwardly flared terminal part 30, corresponding to the flared terminal 18 of the extension 15. A portion of the strip 25, disposed between the hinge 26 and said free end portion 27, is outwardly bowed, as seen in Figure l, and has a socket member or cap 31 fixed to the inner side of the intermediate portion thereof in a position to align with the opening 13 when the portion 27 is in engagement with the keeper 29.

To load the holder and dispenser 6, the end wall 12 is swung to an open position as previously described and a conventional filled collapsible tube 32 is inserted longitudinally into the case 7 through the opening in the upper end thereof, provided by the opening of the wall 12, and with the dispensing neck 33 of the tube 32 in a forwardmost position. The conventional cap, not shown, is removed from the neck 33 before it is applied to the case 7 and the opening 13 is of sufficient size so that the neck 33 can project loosely therethrough, as seen in Figure 2, to be received and closed by the cap or socket 31 which fits loosely thereover. With the tube 32 thus disposed in the case 7 as seen in Figure 2, the tapered substantially rigid end portion 34 of the tube, from which the neck 33 projects, will be disposed to rest against the inner side of the end wall 11 around the opening 13 thereof. The case 7 is of sufficient length so that the crimped rear sealed end 35 of the tube 32 will be spaced somewhat from the wall 12, when said Wall is returned to its closed position. When the wall 12 is swung clockwise to its closed position, after insertion of the tube 32 in the case 7, the flared portion 18 thereof will engage the outer end of the keeper 17 and will function as a cam to cause the extension 15 to yield outwardly until the opening 16 is disposed in alignment with the keeper 17, whereupon the extension 15 will snap into its latched position of Figure 1.

When it is desired to dispense some of the contents of the tube 32, an outward pull is exerted on the fingerhold 30 to disengage the strip portion 27 from the keeper 29 after which the closure 24 is permitted to swing downwardly about its hinge 26 to a depending position to expose the dispensing neck 33. The user then applies pressure with one or more fingers to the plate 22 for displacing said plate toward the rear wall 8 to thus apply a compressing force to the tube 32, so that a portion of the contents thereof will be forced outwardly through the neck 33. When a desired amount of the contents 36 of the tube 32 has thus been dispensed, pressure is released from the plate 32 and the plate will then be returned to its full line position of Figure 2 by the elastic elements 23, and the closure 24 is returned and latched in a closed position as seen in Figure 1, in the same manner that the end wall 12 is latched, as previously described.

It is desirable that pressure be applied to the tube 32 in a manner so that the contents of the tube will be forced toward the dispensing neck 33. This can be readily accomplished due to the unique mounting of applicants pressure plate 22, since pressure can be applied to any desired portion thereof. For example, when the tube 32 is substantially full, the pressure will be applied against the portion of the plate 22 located adjacent the bridge member 21 so as to compress the tube 32 only adjacent its sealed rear end 35. As the contents of the tube is progressively dispensed, the rear portion of the tube will have been flattened and a greater amount of pressure will then be applied to the intermediate portion of the plate 22 and finally the portion of said plate located adjacent the bridge member 20, when the contents of the tube is substantially exhausted. It is also possible to apply pressure to the plate 22 adjacent the bridge member 21 and then slidably move the thumb or fingers toward the bridge member while still exerting pressure on the plate 22 for most eifectively squeezing all of the contents of the tube toward the dispensing neck 33 and so that said tube can be completely flattened to avoid waste of any of the contents thereof. Due to the yieldable mounting of the plate adjacent the corners thereof by the elastic elements If desired, the rear wall 8 may be secured to any suitable supporting surface such as a wall so as to support the holder and dispenser 6 in substantially an upright position as seen in Figures 1 and 2.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A holder and dispenser for a collapsible tube com prising an elongated case defining an elongated chamber adapted to contain a collapsible tube with a dispensing end of the tube protruding from the case, said case including a rear wall against which the tube is adapted to bear substantially from end-to-end of the tube, said case including an open front, a pair of bridge members forming a part of the case and spanning the open front thereof, adjacent the ends of the case, a substantially rigid plate disposed loosely in said case and having end portions thereof disposed between said bridge members and portions of said collapsible tube, and elastic elements anchored to said bridge members and to the end portions of said plate for resiliently supporting said plate in the case, said plate being displaceable towards said rear wall for compressing the tube therebetween for squeezing a portion of the contents of the tube therefrom.

2. A holder and dispenser as in claim 1, said plate loosely fitting in said chamber and being of a length somewhat less than the length of the chamber, two of said elastic elements being anchored to each of said bridge members, said elastic elements being anchored to the plate adjacent the corners thereof whereby selected portions of the plate may be displaced toward the rear wall for compressing a portion only of the collapsible tube.

3. A holder and dipsenser as in claim 2, said elastic elements being flexible to permit movement of said plate in any direction Within said chamber.

4. A holder and dispenser for a collapsible tube comprising an elongated case forming an elongated chamber, said case including a rear wall, a pressure plate forming the front wall of the case, said pressure plate fitting loosein said chamber, and elastic elements anchored to portions of the case and to portions of said pressure plate for mounting the pressure plate in said chamber, parts of said pressure plate being disposed between said rear wall and said case portions, said elastic elements normally supporting the pressure plate in spaced apart relation to the rear wall to provide a chamber spaced -therebetween adapted to accommodate a collapsible tube with a dispensing end of the tube protruding from the case, and said pressure plate being adapted to be displaced toward the rear wall from compressing the tube between the pressure plate and rear wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,979,105 Harnish Oct. 30, 1934 2,231,889 Davis Feb. 18, 1941 2,613,853 Halvorsen Oct. 14, 1952 raw z 

